Konserwacja metalowych zabytków cmentarnych

• Authors: Sękowski Stefan

Title variants

EN

THE PRESERVATION OF CEMETERY METAL MONUMENTS

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

On the initiative of the Sub-Commission for Historic Cemeteries of the Society of Warsaw Patrons since 1975 attempts have been made with the aim to protect Warsaw historic cemeteries against total destruction. Of major importance is the problem of rescuing a vast number of cast-iron and wrought-steel elements found on cemeteries. After an initial recording and evaluation of the size of the problem, workers of the Institute of Precise Mechanics participating in the studies have decided to work out a new more effective method of the preservation of historic monuments in iron and its alloys. An overwhelming majority of Warsaw historic cemeteries lie in the north-west part of the town. Until the 2nd World War this part of the town was poorly industrialized, and so metal cemetery monuments were e x posed almost totally to the effect of corrosion stimulated only by air humidity. In those conditions it was enough for preservation purposes only to paint them occasionally. The situation changed drastically for the worse after the 2nd World War. Because of a rapidly developing industry and motor transport the atmosphere over cemeteries got oversaturated heavily with dusts and aggressive gases, just to mention sulphate dioxide and nitric oxides. According to the studies made, due to an ever bigger pollution, a rate of metal corrosion on historic Warsaw cemeteries has more than trebled in the recent ten years. It is estimated that at present (in 1981) the quantity of metal corroding is the same as the quantity of the metal corroded in twenty-five years before the 2nd World Wax. Today nearly 4.600 metal objects found on Warsaw cemeteries call for immediate conservation. In 98 per cent cemetery metal monuments are either iron or wrought-steel products. They include various fencings, railings, balustrades, wickets, gratings, monuments and crosses; bronze plates or brass ornaments are rather rare. They are as a rule open-work products, with sophisticated forms and well-developed surfaces. It is because of those developed surfaces and complex irregular forms that the preservation of metal cemetery monuments is very difficult and expensive. Briefly speaking, the methods employed hitherto in the preservation of iron and steel cemetery monuments consisted in a mechanical removal of corrosion products and the remaining paint followed by a new paint coat consisting of minium priming and one or two lacquer coatings. When working out a new method of preserving cemetery metal objects it has been assumed that this must be a quick and cheap method possible to be used on a broad scale and thus allowing to save and preserve metal monuments for 30 years at least. Depending on the size of the elements, i.e. when cleaning small and delicate elements such as cast-iron leaves or ornaments, electrochemical methods is applied. During this process all products of corrosion are removed, with not a single gramme of the base metal destroyed or dissolved. Large elements, on the other hand, are cleaned by means of a stream abrasive method. A cleaned element, placed in a special chamber, is treated with a stream of fine abrasive powder. In this way, in mere few minutes, the surface will be ideally clean and free from the products of corrosion and paint coats. Of course, also in this case the monument itse lf is not affected. The n ex t treatment consists in putting on a layer of metallic zinc (150—200 mm thick) by means of metal spraying. With today’s aggressiveness of the air a thick zinc layer provides a full anticorrosive protection for steel and iron products for at least thirty years. In order to g ive zinc-coated steel or iron products a proper appearance, they are then coated (once or tw ice) with black paints. Depending on the requirements, the effect may be mat, glossy or have a specific graphite semi-gloss.

Keywords

PL

konserwacja metalu; metalowe zabytki cmentarne; Podkomisja Cmentarzy Zabytkowych Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Warszawy; zabytkowe cmentarze warszawskie; ratowanie odlewanych elementów żeliwnych; korozja metali; konserwacja wyrobów stalowych kutych; cmentarne zabytki z żeliwa i stali kutej

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 1983
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 117-120

Dates

published

1983

Contributors

author

Sękowski Stefan

• mgr inż., Instytut Mechaniki Precyzyjnej Warszawa

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247